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EDMONTON, AB (November 28, 2012): Today the Wildrose Official Opposition called for an emergency debate to “suspend all activities and proceedings related to any contracts it has with International Tobacco Recovery consortium… until a full investigation is done by the Ethics Commissioner of Alberta and all results are made public.”

Documents released today show that Premier Alison Redford, during her time as Justice Minister, hand-picked her ex-husband’s law firm to handle the biggest litigation contract in Alberta’s history. The litigation contract was handed out to the International Tobacco Recovery consortium, a consortium of law firms from Florida, Ontario and Alberta. “This is a serious conflict-of-interest for the sitting Premier to be the one to choose her ex-husband’s firm as the winner of a contract that is potentially worth hundreds of millions in contingency fees”,” Wildrose Official Opposition Leader Danielle Smith said. “All activities or contracts involved in this case need to be suspended immediately and it’s time for this Premier to start giving Albertans answers.” Wildrose House Leader Rob Anderson said that it’s unacceptable for the PC government to continue to let a culture of corruption go unchecked. “This is a serious breach of ethics and if this Premier was serious about being open and accountable she shouldn’t shy away from debate,” Anderson said. “This is no longer an old boys club scandal, it hits at the centre of the Premier’s office and shows a disturbing lack of judgment and ethics.”